Cytotoxic activity of a flavanone from the stem of Bauhinia variegata Linn.

A flavanone has been isolated first time from the stem of Bauhinia variegata, and its structure was identified by colour reactions and spectral analysis. In a search for novel anticancer compounds from medicinal plants, the isolated flavanone was tested for cytotoxic activity against 57 human tumour lines, representing leukaemia, non-small cell lung, colon, central nervous system, melanoma, ovarian, renal, prostate and breast cancers. The results showed that the flavanone has cytotoxic activity against human tumour cell lines.